Gamescom 2019: Western Digital WD Black Portable Hard Drives, SSD for Gaming Announced

Western Digital has expanded its WD Black product line to encompass a variety of gaming-related storage devices including external desktop and portable hard drives and a new portable SSD. The hard drives will also be available in variants marketed especially for Xbox One users, which will come with limited-time Xbox Game Pass Ultimate subscriptions. The new products were unveiled at the ongoing Gamescom 2019 exhibition in Germany. Five new devices in total have been unveiled, with multiple storage options available for each. Some of the new products are available immediately in some countries, while others will go on sale before the end of this year. 

Building on the existing WD Black SN750 SSD, the new WD Black P50 Game Drive SSD announced at Gamescom 2019 is a portable external SSD available in 500GB, 1TB and 2TB capacities. The company says it is the first such product to feature USB 3.2 Gen2 2x2 (20Gbps) connectivity and offers read speeds of up to 2000MBps. Gamers can have large libraries and still not have to wait through long loading screens. This SSD boasts of a five-year warranty and pricing has not yet been announced.

The new WD Black P10 Game Drive and P10 Game Drive for Xbox One are portable hard drives that offer up to 5TB of space for gamers who want to keep all their old favourites around but still have room for new games. Both models feature Micro-USB 3.1 ports, and both are said to be highly portable as well as durable. Transfer speeds can go up to 140MBps. The WD Black P10 Game Drive is available in 2TB, 4TB and 5TB options priced starting at $89.99 (approximately Rs. 6,155) while the WD Black P10 Game Drive for Xbox One is available in 3TB and 5TB options starting at $109.99 (approximately Rs. 7,525) and will include a two-month Xbox Game Pass Ultimate subscription. 

Finally, the WD Black D10 Game Drive and WD Black D10 Game Drive for Xbox One are similar external desktop hard drives, available in only 8TB and 12TB capacities respectively. These both require external power and feature active cooling fans. Both models also feature two USB Type-A downstream ports to allow other devices to charge at up to 7.5A. Vertical stands are included with both models. Transfer speeds can go up to 250MBps. The 8TB WD Black D10 Game Drive is priced at $199.99 (approximately Rs. 13,680) while the 12TB WD Black D10 Game Drive for Xbox One will cost $299.99 (approximately Rs. 20,520) including a three-month Xbox Game Pass Ultimate subscription.